Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[DoX]

Basics:
Currently artefacts are created more or less random. A random dwarf gets a random strange mood and creates a random artifact.

I suggest that in addition to this mechanic, inspired artefacts can be constructed. These artefacts would for example be created when you slay a forgotten beast, a noble or great warrior dies or when you stop a large siege. They would be constructed mostly in the same way artefacts are currently created: shortly after the event, one of your dwarfs gets 'inspired' or 'moved' or something. The dwarf claims a workshop, gathers materials and starts constructing.

The created artefact would use one or more relevant materials(For example: a tooth of the forgotten beast, several goblin skulls, the kings favourite material etc.)as a base and possibly some materials for decorations. All pictures on the item would also be relevant to the event. (The striking down of the beast, the ascension of the king, several kills of the warrior etc.).

Other ideas
-Give the dwarf constructing only half or less of the XP of constructing a 'true' artefact to prevent people killing of their nobles for this event. (As if people need another reason...)
-Another option would be to simply give less XP and prevent the affected dwarf from getting a real strange mood. This way, it is partially a disadvantage, since a real strange mood would give a legendary dwarf instead of a (High/Grand) Master.
-Probably slightly harder to code, but perhaps the item created has some kind of connection to the event. (An armour created from forgotten beast shell, a coffin or statue for the death warrior etc.)

I really liked this idea, so I thought I'd make a new thread with a twist on it.

Any wall, or floor, could be given a special designation (like you do with burrows). Not like smoothing. It'd be a constant, non-active job that only comes into play during moments of great historical importance. Killing a megabeast, death of a noble, finding the demon keep, beating off a siege, creating artifacts of a set level of wealth, or even attaining a certain level of dwarves/wealth. You know, like achievement milestones, unique to your fort.

You'd then have a noble, the "Historian" who would also have engraving/stone smoothing. You'd want to train him, as these "History" engravings would be of higher value. He would be in charge of keeping a forts lineage alive.

I don't know. I liked wiersmaster's idea because it gave events in DF more significance, more memory. With his artifact idea, you could look through them and recall all those amazing encounters. With this wall/floor section idea, it'd all be grouped, in an order of sorts, and less disjointed (artifacts can be stolen, misplaced. Walls and floors are more likely to break/be defaced, but can't physically be picked up. Placed in a well defended, secret enough place, the forts history could be preserved indefinitely).

Imagine how cool it would be if you went on a fortress recovery, on a map you imported from a forum or friend, and you uncover a sealed chamber with that forts whole history. How they fell out of grace with the humans, and died by siege, or released the demons of hell and became prey to their twisted will.

Again, credit to wiersmaster.

[thijser]

Well it might be a good idea if it was possble for player to order a certain text to be engraved aswell. This would take the same funcion as any other engraved stone but would be more fun as a player could record his own history in his own words and look back many years later as an adventurer looking trough a old ruin.

[DoX]

Well it might be a good idea if it was possble for player to order a certain text to be engraved aswell. This would take the same funcion as any other engraved stone but would be more fun as a player could record his own history in his own words and look back many years later as an adventurer looking trough a old ruin.

Neat, but I always liked dorftalk. It was almost like you had to translate what they were saying. "Released the Demons" coming right after "Great Siege" can be read by us nondorf folk as "Oh shit this guy hit a demon fortress while strip-mining, hah."

[Pilsu]

I see little reason why we shouldn't be able to do this manually.

[wiersmaster]

Thanks DoX
Although I must admit my suggestion was mostly meant as something you can do with forgotten beast parts, and it simply grew from there.

About the suggestion:
I like this idea. As said: it would show the great events of your fort, without having to filter through pictures of animals, various geometrical shapes and events of 500 years ago. I think the simplest option would be to allow designating walls and floors for 'history engraving': it would work exactly like current engraving, with the difference that 'History engraving' would only make one picture of each event, and only events that happened in your fort. (If possible even in a sort of chronological order.) If there are not enough events, walls would simply remain empty until new event.

And I must say I dislike the 'design your own wall'-idea: most of the time we have very little control over the designs of our dwarves and I think that we should keep it that way.

[Lord Darkstar]

Auto-engraving of the fort history, and the fort history only? That would be most excellent!

Until we get that, the WORK AROUND for this is to do your own history notations using "(N)ote". Pick a walkway or whatever, and start from there. "1073 Artifact" - "Ilst McUrist created artifact crown". "1074 Siege" - "Crushed attacking force of 80 goblins and trolls with no losses", etc etc etc.

You could do it on the floor of your dining hall or wherever you wanted.

[Praetyre]

Now, why does this come to mind: